Riley

Update 4/29

The “Life of Riley” and  the Road Trip

As you think through the pros and cons of owning a Golden Retriever, one question that usually comes up is “But what do we do with him when we go to ___?” (insert destination – Grandma’s, camping, the cabin, the kids’ house, etc.) The answer for us was simple: pack up Riley and our own GR in the SUV and head to the kids’ place in The Woodlands, about 3 hours away.  The son in-law is not a big fan of dogs in the house, so hauling in two GRs who’d been cooped up in the back seat for 3 hours did cause us to ponder the potential outcome. However, no need to worry! It all went smooth as silk.

In the car, Riley was a perfect gentleman.  He sat up in the back seat and watched the world go by.  Every time we slowed down for a little town, he got to hang his head out the window.  And the potty-stop in Giddings topped off with a DQ soft-serve cone made both dogs feel very mellow. Once we arrived, Riley hopped out of the car, peed, and strolled up to the front door like he lived there.  He lay at our feet most of the time, helped out with kitchen duty, found the perfect “bathroom” in the vacant lot next door, loved grilling in the backyard,  and snored through the night in a strange house.  All in all, I give Riley a 97 out of 100 points.  Two points off for cornering their cat under the bed for about 3 hours straight (hey, the kitty ran and Riley just had to see what her problem was!) and 1 point off for bringing us a new loaf of bread from their pantry.  (It was on the bottom shelf at his level.)  Once the chorus of “Riley, drop!” died down, this lesson on doggy-proofing the house was concluded with no harm to the bread. 

If you’re looking for a good companion dog who can keep up with busy family travels, then put Riley in the "pro" column of your list.  He is a very adaptable Adoptable who will make you proud (and maybe a little surprised when he happily brings a loaf of bread into the living room)!  Check with your GRR Adoption Coordinator for the latest adventures in the  Life of Riley. 

Update 03/26/08:

Riley update 3/26

 Subject: Late breaking GRR News Update 

Riley exhibits superior intelligence

By GRR Press - Foster Entertainment Services

 Cedar Park - Riley, a GRR Foster Dog, has demonstrated superior intelligence by independently learning to fetch the morning newspaper!  As documented by the foster family, Riley has been participating in the early morning ritual of going out to the front yard, peeing on the neighbors’ lawn (reportedly kills dandelions),  and then watching Foster Dad pick up the morning paper.  During his third week in his foster home, Riley (who had previously only learned to carry shoes and food bowls), independently and without prompting, picked up the newspaper and carried it indoors to the kitchen table.  He was subsequently rewarded for his efforts with two treats and much praise from his family.  Foster Dad was reported to have said, "What a good puppy!  How smart you are!" 

 This correspondent will continue to report on the progress of this exceptional GRR Dog while in his foster home.  Riley is currently up for adoption and is expected to begin  bestowing his superior intelligence on a new forever family soon.  Contact your GRR Adoption Coordinator for information on how your family can benefit from Riley's gold-medal smarts!

update 03/18/08:

When his first foster mom discovered she had an awful lot of travelling coming up, Riley moved to a new foster family.    So, this is a great chance to let everyone know how he handled the change—and how well he’ll do when he comes to YOUR house.

What a good dog!  He dropped into our home after yet another GRR volunteer provided shuttle service across town. That was a lot of new people and a lot of change all at once, but  Riley showed no signs of anxiety and just walked right in to our lives.  He is 100% housebroken, only plays with/chews on the toys you give him, and LOVES his food bowl.  

Riley is a quick study and adjusted rapidly to his new house rules. He loves to sleep in front of the TV or snooze beside us while we work.  He’s interested in our cat, but not aggressive towards her; he quickly made friends with our Golden and enjoys short games of tug-o-war.  No problem with thunderstorms.  Good with kids.  No digging or tearing up the yard. Loves his walk any time and loves to go for rides and poke his nose out the car window.

He is trustworthy in the house alone—to a point! He went through the garbage once… that was enough to teach the humans a lesson. He also pulled a half-loaf of bread off the kitchen table and demolished it… all we found was the wrapper.  But he never got sick, and he definitely got his maximum daily requirement of whole grains.

Riley does a great SIT. DOWN is coming along. STAY is new, but he is learning fast. He does pull on the leash, so we are working on that.

Riley is more than ready for a forever home.  He’ll settle right in—and from there, he will blossom and become a great family member.  I highly recommend him!  Check with your GRR Adaption Director and see if Riley is a good match for you.  

Original Story:

Hi! I’m Riley, and I’m a dog.  Actually, I’m a boy Golden Retriever. To be even more exact (according to my foster mom), I’m a big, beautiful, deep reddish gold Golden Retriever.  Now, I don’t know about all that, but I sure like it when foster mom tells me what a beautiful, good boy I am. 

This place is great! I have a Labrador foster sister here who is very tolerant of me and even occasionally plays with me.  She lets me wash her face lots, but I haven’t convinced her she should wash mine yet… I’ll keep trying though.  We get lots of good food, treats, and lovin’. 

I love going for walks, taking rides in the car, and saying hello to the neighbors’ dogs.  I also enjoy playing games with foster mom. One of my favorites is “snitch the shoe,” especially as she is trying to put it on—hehehe.  Sometimes I can get her to chase me down the hallway, which is great fun.  Another thing I enjoy is… oh, gotta go now—she’s putting her shoes on!

Riley’s foster mom will take it from here:

Riley is truly a joy—a big beautiful galoot of a happy Golden.  His tail wags almost all the time, and he loves every person and dog he meets.  He cracks us up regularly with his antics, and yet he is content to lie around the house and be petted and loved on.  He likes to carry his empty food bowl around, dropping it occasionally with that resounding “clankity bang bang” that only a metal bowl can make.

Riley goes for all he’s worth when he’s going and then sleeps soundly.  He sleeps in my room, either beside the bed or in his open crate;  it’s his choice.  This boy can rattle the windows with his snoring, but once you get use to it, it’s a relaxing white noise that lulls you to sleep, too.

Let’s see —this is making Riley seem almost perfect—and he is!—but he does do some naughty things. He loves to get in trash and demolish paper products such as paper towels, napkins, and Kleenex.  Stuffed toys are too much of a temptation to him; he believes that every one of them should be destuffed and strewn through out the house.  On the other hand, this guy is eager to learn and do things to please his person.  He came to me knowing how to sit and shake hands.  In just the short time he’s been with me, he has learned “down,” “easy” (to keep your hands intact when you give him a treat), “out” (as in out of the kitchen, the bathroom, etc.) and “get back.”  He’s walking better on a leash all the time.

All in all, this is one delightful dog who deserves a wonderful, loving forever home where his people can spoil him rotten and love him forever.  Does Riley sound like the dog for you?

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